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July 07, 2020

The Edge Accelerator Welcomes 2020 Cohort

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Frederick, MD, July 2020 – The Community Growth Accelerator Program, The Edge, welcomed its 2020 Cohort of 14 new startup companies. Frederick Innovative Technology Center, Inc (FITCI) leadership and mentors of The Edge’s program decided to transition this year’s courses and activities to an online delivery for the first time. These steps were taken, rather than postponement, to provide local entrepreneurs with much needed help during these challenging times.

The program launched its Introduction Week on June 30^th and commenced with Week 1 classes on July 6^th. Over the next 12 weeks, the selected entrepreneurs will receive in-depth, customized mentorship, guidance and resources, as a part of this intensive, boot-camp style course aimed at revving the start-up learning curve. Local mentors and lecturers will be aiding participants as they dive deep into topics including building a better business model, doing market research, concise communications, and capital considerations. The program will have more than 40 local entrepreneurs, CEOs and business leaders who volunteer on a weekly basis as mentors and lecturers.

“Cooperative support is the strength of this program,” said FITCI CEO Kathie Callahan Brady. “We are immensely grateful to all of our lecturers and mentors who are so dedicated to the success of our startups. It’s the right environment and the right time for shaping dedicated, well-informed business leaders who will augment the rich diversity of opportunity in this community as they go out and change the world.”

The 12-week accelerator will culminate with the Demo Day, a pitch competition in front of a panel of investors and judges, where all participants will have an opportunity to test their pitch decks, win prizes, and gain access to valuable partnerships.

We are proud to announce these fourteen startups that have been selected to join our industry-agnostic 2020 Cohort:

Allow Me! New Market, MD, CEO: Sharry Veil

Brokkr Technologies, Middletown, MD, CEO: Andy Hessler

Cornerstone Genomics, CEO: Jill Pecon-Slattery

David Weigelt, Frederick MD

Finply Analytics, Potomac, MD, CEO: Luis Aguilar Levy

Frederick Cat Café, Frederick MD, CEO: Cynthia Richards

Incremental Health Care, Gaithersburg, MD, CEO: Nick van Terheyden

Jennifer Storm, Frederick, MD

Kayvo, Frederick, MD, CEO: Ayodeji Abraham

RebuImmunity, Frederick MD, CEO: Yunbiao Lu

Revolution Modern Dance, Frederick, MD, CEO: Amanda Comi

StepFusion Solutions, Frederick, MD, CEO: Bruce DeShong

Samantha Berenschot-Bucciero, Frederick, MD

Tumy Tech, Adamstown, MD, CEO: Brad Tumy

We would like to thank our gracious and talented instructors for helping teach this amazing group of entrepreneurs. FITCI is blessed to have such a wide range of talent and skills from so many different companies. Instructors for 2020 cohort are: Jonathan Boehman – HOME INSTEAD Inc, Vladimir Popov – FREDERICK NATIONAL LAB, Ray Crowell – HUMBLE VC, Darryl Glick – DALE CARNEGIE, John Hickman – SALISBURY UNIVERSITY, Diane McFarland - SBDC, Danny Farrar – CEO SOLDER FIT, Whitney Hahn – CEO DIGITAL BARD, Mary Jo Anderson – HOOD COLLEGE, Michael Unruh – Palmieri Center for Entrepreneurship - MOUNT ST. MARY’S UNIVERSITY, Graham Dodge – Mid-Atlantic Gigabit Innovation Collaboratory (MAGIC), Anne Balduzzi – TEDCO, and Kathie Callahan Brady – FITCI.

This accelerator program is made special by not only the instructors but also by the connections and talent of the many Mentors who volunteer their time. The Edge’s first wave of Mentors currently include: Chris Pondoc, Amy Winchester, Kim Mozingo, Griffin St Louis, Jose Bueso, Amanda Haddaway, Jack Trammell, Teresa Mena, Barry Datloaf, Sue Carr, Daemon Price, Jim Pannucci, Tony Checchia, and Michelle Hoffman. (Note: not all are listed as the invites and confirmations are still in the process)

The Edge is considered a “Community” Growth Accelerator because of our incredible founding partners who have come together to connect our future entrepreneurs to needed resources. The Edge Founding partners, besides FITCI, are: Frederick National Lab for Cancer Research, Leaders on Loan of Frederick County Chamber of Commerce, Hood College, Frederick County, Frederick County Office of Economic Development, The City of Frederick, and Frederick City Department of Economic Development. We are especially grateful to our Funding Sponsor, Rural Maryland Council (RMC), and are looking forward to announcing our Demo Day sponsors soon.

For more information, and our weekly The Edge blog updates, please follow the link - https://www.fitci.org/the-edge.html

Written By: Kathie Callahan Brady

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The Frederick Innovative Technology Center, Inc. (FITCI) is a business incubator and accelerator designed to cultivate entrepreneurship in Frederick, Maryland.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE ANNOUNCES 51 “BUILD TO SCALE” GRANTS TOTALING $47 MILLION TO FUEL INNOVATION AND TECH-BASED ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Contact: EDA Public Affairs Department, (202) 482-4085
October 5, 2022

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo announced that the Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding 51 “Build to Scale” grants – totaling $47 million – to organizations that support technology entrepreneurs, catalyze innovation and fuel economic growth.

EDA’s “Build to Scale” program provides annual grants that aim to accelerate technology entrepreneurship by increasing inclusive access to entrepreneurial support and startup capital. The 2022 awardees will leverage an additional $48 million in matching funds from a variety of private and public sector sources. These EDA investments support advanced manufacturing, bioscience, clean energy and blue economy clusters in regions throughout the United States.

"Strengthening technology ecosystems are a critical key to the Biden Administration's efforts to build a stronger America,” said Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “Innovation and entrepreneurship have long been keys to American success and will continue to strengthen our collective economic and national security, as well as individual prosperity and well-being.”

"EDA is proud to partner with this year's 'Build to Scale' grantees as they invest in entrepreneurs and create equitable access to capital in their communities," said Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Alejandra Y. Castillo. "These projects will give the next generation of industry-leading companies a seminal boost that will result in job creation and private investment – potentially transforming a regional economy and creating economic opportunity beyond what we can foresee.”

The 2022 Build to Scale program was comprised of two competitions––the Venture Challenge and the Capital Challenge. The Venture Challenge supports programs that enable high-growth technology entrepreneurship and foster inclusive access to proven entrepreneurship support models. The Capital Challenge increases access to capital in communities where risk capital is in short supply by providing operational support for early-stage investment funds, networks, and training programs that focus on both traditional and hybrid equity-based financing.

2022 VENTURE CHALLENGE GRANT RECIPIENTS

• AgLaunch, Memphis, TN ($1.5 million)
• Battle Creek Unlimited, Battle Creek, MI ($375,000)
• Benedict College, Columbia, SC ($525,000)
• Black River Innovation Campus, Springfield, VT ($1.5 million)
• Chicostart, Chico, CA ($549,999)
• City and County of Denver, Denver, CO ($1.5 million)
• Codefi Foundation on Rural Innovation, Cape Girardeau, MO ($2 million)
• Colorado State University Research Foundation, Fort Collins, CO ($749,117)
• Current, Chicago, IL ($516,639)
• Eastern Shore Entrepreneurship Center and Frederick Innovative Technology Center, MD ($1.8 million)
• Fearless Solutions, Baltimore, MD ($661,725)
• Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA ($600,000)
• Greater Green Bay Chamber, Green Bay, WI ($467,500)
• Innovate Mississippi, Jackson, MS ($375,000)
• Innovation Park, Tallahassee, FL ($724,911)
• Innovation Works, Pittsburgh, PA ($2 million)
• Launch Tennessee, Nashville, TN ($2 million)
• Lawrence Technological University, Southfield, MI ($813,330)
• New Energy Nexus, Brooklyn, NY ($2 million)
• New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM ($1.2 million)
• New Orleans Startup Fund, New Orleans, LA ($1.2 million)
• Northern State University, Aberdeen, SD ($748,036)
• Penn State University, University Park, PA ($1.8 million)
• Red Wing Ignite, Red Wing, MN ($2 million)
• Rutland Economic Development Corporation, Rutland, VT ($732,919)
• Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, Seattle, WA ($674,874)
• Shawnee State University, Portsmouth, OH ($749,356)
• Southwestern Community College, Chula Vista, CA ($1.5 million)
• StartUpNV, Las Vegas, NV ($1.8 million)
• Tampa Bay Wave, Tampa Bay, FL ($2 million)
• University of California, Riverside, CA ($2 million)
• University of New Mexico – Taos, Ranchos De Taos, NM ($700,944)

2022 CAPITAL CHALLENGE GRANT RECIPIENTS

• Alliance for SoCal Innovation, Pasadena, CA ($300,000)
• Battle Creek Unlimited, Battle Creek, MI ($147,750)
• Cleveland Water Alliance, Cleveland, OH ($299,302)
• Excell Partners, Rochester, NY ($750,000)
• Innovate Mississippi, Jackson, MS ($263,617)
• Launch NY, Buffalo, NY ($750,000)
• Louisville Healthcare CEO Council, Louisville, KY ($299,970)
• Minneapolis Saint Paul Regional Economic Development Partnership, St. Paul, MN ($300,000)
• New England Aquarium Corporation, Boston, MA ($750,000)
• Next Foundation, Tucson, AZ ($519,999)
• Propeller, New Orleans, LA ($750,000)
• Regional Accelerator & Innovation Network, Vancouver, WA ($750,000)
• StitchCrew, Edmond, OK ($713,201)
• University of Memphis, Memphis, TN ($700,196)
• University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE ($300,000)
• University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC ($299,987)
• University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT ($750,000)
• Venture Central, Charlottesville, VA ($299,871)
• Village Capital, Washington, D.C. ($541,700)

EDA's Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship administers the Build to Scale program , which is authorized under Section 27 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980.

About the U.S. Economic Development Administration (www.eda.gov)
The mission of the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) is to lead the federal economic development agenda by promoting competitiveness and preparing the nation's regions for growth and success in the worldwide economy. An agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce, EDA invests in communities and supports regional collaboration in order to create jobs for U.S. workers, promote American innovation, and accelerate long-term sustainable economic growth.